Mining machine



Patented Feb. '26, 1929,

UNITEDYSTATES PATE NT OFFICE.-

IIUGHNICHOLAS woon, oF NEWCAsTLE-UPoN-TYNE, ENGLAND, A'ssIGNoRVfTo THE JEFFREYKMANUFACTURING COMPANY, or COLUMBUS, omo, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

MINING MACHINE.

Application mea January 27, 1925, serial No. 5,092, andan Great'nitain/ Aprn 7, 1524.

10 been litted' with winding drums which have beenV applied for hauling the truck at a *slow speed, as'when moving out of a .cutting place or ascending a steep gradient,l the haulage cable'being secured to an 'anchorj ack and the truck propelled by winding on thefcable. In

making provision for the propulsion of a mining machine carriage truck by the simultaneous driving of the'wh'eels and winding on of a haulage cable, it is important tohavea minimum amou'nt'of gearingpandlit is: also importantto arrangefor the sprocket chains to be jockeyed sothat when slack they cannot wrap around the sprockets or ride onto the teeth thereof. A Y j Y' The principal object of the present invention is to provide a coal cutting machine adapted for satisfying all the requirements indicated inthe preceding paragraph whilst at the same time involving no vcomplicated or expensive gearing'. u

VAccording to this invention, theraxes'ot a driving sprocket, a track wheels axle sprocket and a winding drum sprocket are arranged at points of a triangleon the training ofthe truck of a coal cutting machine, and a single sprocket chain is passed around all three sprockets so that the drive'of the motor is transmitted by the one chain yto bothV the winding drum and the axle of the track wheels. vWith this'arrangement, the sprocket of the winding drum may be said to actas a jockey pulley rfor keeping the chain from sagging on to the sprocket of the track wheels axle. A suitable arrangementis one in which the triangle aforesaid. is almost equi'lateral, the driving sprocket. being atthe apex, the Vtrack wheels axle sprocket being atone base angle and the'winding drum sprocketat the other base angle, the base rising slightlyvon 0 account of the Wheelsaxle being vat a slightly lower level than the winding druml carried' ,y beneathfth'e truck frame. Other dispositions of the axles and sprockets maybe adopted,

however, provided that they permit of at- Y similar effect to that abovedemachine-isjdescending a gradient.y However,

where a Worm drive is associated with Vthe motor so that the truck wheels cannot overrun the motor, such brake may be' unnecessary.

1n order'to enable .the invention to bel readilyfunderstood,'reference isy made to the accompanying drawing, lllustrating one' suitable construction and arrangement of parts ilraccordance with'these improvements, in which drawing Y Figure lis a side elevation of a locomotive mining machine in which the three sprockets j are arranged Y at' points of a triangle and geared by a single sprocketV chain, andy c Figure 2 isa plan of Figurel."

InV the drawing, axis the frame of -a truckl for tram having track Wheels b running on a ytrack c, the said frame supporting a coal cutter mechanism comprising a motor and gearing in'a. casing l and a cutter jib c. On a lateral prolongationV of a shaft f driven'by the motor, and externally of the casingd, a` sprocket f/ is tixedythis being the driving sprocket. 0n. a prolongation of the' axle h of the rear-track wheels there is fixed a' sprocket j and on a prolongationof a spindle c of a winding drum l thereV is fixed a sprocket m. As will be seen from Figure 1, the centres ofthe sprockets 'gj m are situated at points of a triangle which is almost an equi` lateral triangle, the sprocket j beingsituated somewhat forwardly of the sprocket g and at a slightly lower level than thesprocket idrive simultaneously to'thewinding l and the track wheels b. Y

*'Ihe leading track wheels are preferably Wheel upon the machine above the before mentioned sprocket Wheels and connected with the power devices, and an endless cha-in engaging all of said sprocket Wheels to simultaneously actuate said tractionpwheels and said Winding drum and thereby propel said truck along said track.l

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a Wheeled truck, a drive sprocket in fixed connection with a Wheel of said truck, a Winding drum supported by said truck, a sprocket Y in Xed connection with said drum, a power drivenshaft on said truck, a sprocket on said ing drum supported by said truck, a sprocket in fixed connection With said drum, a power driven shaft onsaid truck, a sprocketon said shaft, said three sprockets being disposed in triangular relation, and an endless chain engaging the three sprockets.

y HUGH NICHOLAS Woon 

